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Post by Portia
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We are home,
It’s been the most fabulous holiday and I have so much to share. A whirlwind to say the very least. One of my top experiences that we had while away was the Serge Lutens Masterclass. It was unbelievably fabulous.
We were whisked upstairs by Elvire into the yellow room, the table was set for sniffing and then she brought us biscuits and tea cakes, very posh. I was invited to sit in Serge Lutens chair (OMG!) and we were happily led through quite a lot of the Exclusive to Palais Royal fragrances. You have no idea how fabulous.
Before you go booking, they prefer you to be in groups of 4-6. Originally we were to be a 4 but sadly two of our crew couldn’t make it. To make up for that, and make it worth Serge’s time, I had some pre-orders from Australia that I needed to get fulfilled as well as my own list.
Serge Lutens Masterclass
Paris 2016: Photo Essay
The gorgeous walls of Serge Lutens yellow room, hidden doors and concealment are the name of the game.
Sitting in Serge’s chair, where he holds court for launches etc.
The gorgeous Elvire who has taken Lea’s masterclass hostess place now that Lea has gone to Shiseido Head Office.
Jin, bless his soul, ran around taking pictures throughout the 2+ hours. He wanted you all to feel part of the experience, notice there is no paper on the table yet.
The very first Serge Lutens fragrance, Feminite du Bois, in its original bottles. No wonder these are so coveted, some had the scent still inside. SWOON!
We start getting our sniff on. Touches are already prepared with fragrance names and tied with black ribbon. The experience was full of these well prepared little glam spots. Elvire was all over the event and full of discerning insights into the fragrances, all done from memory and with such passion it was easy to get swept away.
As you can see the table is filling up with paper, the ones sticking up are my return and skin test ones.
So beautiful, with a smile that lit up the room.
Jin & I being assholes.
Even the toilet gets the Serge Lutens treatment. The toilet seat was marble I think, or maybe it was the whole toilet. Was so tripping on the fumes by this time that I was seeing spots.
As you can see we were so involved chatting and sniffing that I hardly touched the cakes!
Finally we get down to the nitty gritty. Time for shopping! I bought Rose de Nuit and La Myrrhe for Aussies. Jin bought Muscs Koublai Khan and I purchased Miel de Bois and Fumerie Turque. Elvire gave us a choice of 2 samples each too (then popped an extra in Jin’s bag! He was thrilled) and for each bottle a full set of wax samples.
Should you be going to France and wish to book this marvelous FREE Event there is a Serge Lutens Contact Page, attention Elvire.
Which of the Exclusives takes your fancy?
Portia xxx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
I’m gutted I couldn’t make it but how great to see all the pics (good work, Jin!) and read all about it. Elvire is a beaut. You must have been overwhelmed to ignore the cake 🙂
Lucky Serge, to have Portia Turbo sit in his chair.
Rose de Nuit is my current fave but I’m yet to smell a lot of the Exclusives.
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Yes, we were really sad that you girls weren’t there too. All the questions that I had after the event you guys would have asked Elvire. I get so overwhelmed with excitement.
You should organise a crew and do it. Stay and the Louvre and saunter across, perfect!
Portia xx
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Wow, what an amazing experience. And it’s free? So cool. I don’t think that I will ever make it to France, but if I could I would surely do this. An old girl can dream, right! The two exclusives I have and love are La Myrrhe and Rose de Nuit. I’m hoping to have Fumerie Turque at the end of March thanks to DH and the French Shopper, and MKK in fall. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I can’t stop thinking about the marble toilet.
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Laura Keller,
It’s worth the trip. I still get shivers of pleasure just reminiscing. It was a Life Highlight. Wonderful.
Portia xx
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Oh Portia – the pictures are so wonderful, it makes me feel almost as if I’m seeing it all with you and Jin. My last trip to Paris, I made a pilgrimage to SL and was completely overwhelmed just by the ground floor! Purple, black, and mirrors, I think — anyway, I was terrified. This place seemed like it was for people with far far more money than I had (and better clothes…) well anyway, the salespeople were angels and so helpful. I was choosing a 50th birthday present and it was tough – it came down to TC and Un Lys, and I chose Un Lys. They’re so different, it might not seem so difficult, but it really was. Worked out perfectly, though, because my husband’s absolute favorite perfume turns out to be Carnal Flower, so that’s my tuberose. Congratulations on a wonderful experience!
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Hey there empliau,
Downstairs turns my brains to mush. I walk in and order what I am taking back for friends and then leave ASAP. Never, even with friends, have I been able to relax and enjoy fragrance there.
Upstairs is infinitely more welcoming and I felt as if a veil had been lifted into the heart and spirit of the collection.
What a great idea for a 50th present! Un Lys is special.
Portia xx
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thanks so much for that..it made my day.i have been too ill to go online the last couple of days and too ill for big smell-a-thons for over a year.do the black ribbons have a function?i really liked them..love serge..i have a 10ml decant of miel de bois and a small sample of fumerie turque and i own bois de soie and feminite du bois.thanks so much for sharing the joy…looks like heaven to me : )
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Hi there flowergirlbee!
Sorry to read you are ill. BUMMER!
The ribbons held sets of touches with names written for particular fragrances. Very cool.
It was heaven.
Portia xx
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Hello Portia,
What a fabulous experience! Jin’s photos are perfect. Son A, a friend and grand daughter A are taking three weeks out of their busy schedules next month to go to Paris and also somewhere in Brittany to visit the friend’s mother. I will send them this post. I hope they can make the time to follow in your footsteps. I wish I could be there too 🙂
Azar xx
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Wow! That would be fabulous. Do pass it along Azar.
Portia xx
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Welcome home! It sounds like a fantastic trip, and I loved the Instagram pics you posted too. So I was tra-la-la-ing through this post until I saw the pic and read “even the toilet gets the Serge Lutens treatment” and I immediately pictured you ON the toilet with Jin taking your picture and Elvire trying to be gracious about it somewhere in the background.
The first Lutens I ever tried was Fleur d’oranger and it put me off so terribly that I waited a long time to get a sniff of something else. I love La Fille de Berlin and La Myrrhe thus far, and have a bunch of samples still waiting patiently for my attention.
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Ha Ha Ha! Not quite like that Holly. No it was tinkle time and I was lucky enough to be left alone to do it.
Did you ever go back and retry Fleur d’oranger? I bet it would be a whole ‘nother story now.
Portia xxx
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Iris Silver Mist by far!
Thanks for the lovely photo essay. I almost felt like I was there with you!
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Thanks SuzyQ,
That’s what we hoped.
Portia xx
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I enjoyed your photo-essay, thank you for sharing!
Fumerie Turque is the next coveted Serge Lutens’ Exclusives.
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Hrey Undina,
Thank you.
How gorgeous is Fumerie Turque? Amazing.
Portia xx
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OMG – Portia this looks mind blowing. On the wish list it goes now! Encens et Lavande is the one I’d love to get my hands on. x
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meganinsaintemaxime,
Why don’t you organise a small crew through your blog and go do it. SO worth it. A complete adventure in scent.
Portia xx
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Oh what a fabulous and luxurious experience that must have been! It looks like it was amazing, what a fun treat.
I haven’t tried many of the exclusives, but I have an old export bottle of Douce Amere that I admire greatly. I hear it’s been reformulated, so I’m not sure how I feel about the exclusive version, but many thought the reform was for the better, so maybe it’s just as lovely! I also recently purchased a sealed old export bottle of Un Lys, which I haven’t opened yet. I’m working through a sample to make sure I love it before I break the seal. 🙂
I’ve also tried Boxeuses, which took a few tries for me to get bit then I liked it quite a bit. I think those are so I’ve tried, but hopefully someday I’ll get to try some more!
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Sun Mi,
If you’re ever in Paris you must go to the Palais Royal. it’s amazing.
Portia xx
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Oh wow Portia, what a fabulous experience that must have been! If I ever get to the Palais Royale, I will know what it looks like upstairs. One mention of Miel de Bois and I melted, love it so (my first SL bought from Sephora on a honeymoon) and La Myrrhe is also on my list. In my cupboards at home I have gorgeous Fumerie Turque, and Feminite de Bois and Borneo 1834 unopened and pre-formulated which I am very excited to try as we get the cooler weather. Sadly my 50 ml of Chene is just about empty. So that goes on the list too. Had a friend buy Encens et Lavande and Mandarin Mandarine for me when she went to Paris a few years ago. You can tell I am an SL tragic…but it is my first niche house. Thanks for sharing this experience you had, it sounded very exciting xx.
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Hey there Donelle Talintyre,
It was amazing.
LOVE your Serge choices (lucky girl with the pre-reformulations!!), though I haven’t tried all of them.
I am a bit of a Serge tragic too. Not a bad club to be in.
Portia xxx
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HI Portia,
So sorry that I had to cancel that trip. It looks fabulous and I hope Tara and I will be able to do it sometime soon. My favourite exclusive is Fourreau Noir (and I usually don’t like lavender)….
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Hey Sabine,
That’s life buddy.
I wish you were there to ask the questions I was too overawed to do but you guys will get there one day.
Portia xx
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